Tough away day against a very well organised Eccles side

Clitheroe visited Eccles for the first time since the end of last season when they basically capitulated. Today's game was so different in terms of Clitheroe's performance

Clitheroe travelled with a complement of only 13 players with some falling prey to illness and injury only hours before kick off. Undeterred, this plucky team of Clitheroe rugby players, otherwise know as Clitheroe Junior Colts, set about their task against an Eccles side flying high towards the top of the league table.

Eccles was quick out of the blocks, scoring 2 tries in quick succession and it must have been a full 15 minutes before Clitheroe got some possession. Their defence was actually much better than the scoreline was suggesting but Eccles has some real quality out wide, making use of the extra man on a number of occasions through the first half especially. Worse was to come for Clitheroe as wing Davies suffered a bad-looking hamstring injury- we wish him a speedy recovery.

Throughout the game, the Clitheroe forwards were plugging away well and the backs showed a never say die attitude, especially centre Jack Stanley, who put in a super Man of the Match shift. Also, Eccles were great sports and not only loaned 4 players throughout the game, ensured the sides were even in numbers for the second half, once the game has basically been lost.

The second half was in fact a much closer affair indeed and Clitheroe managed a good score on the death, Wilkinson jinking and evading a couple of tackles before offloading to Duck who finished with aplomb.

This was a good learning experience for this growing side. Their defence was good in large swathes of the game and they won't often come up against a side as organised and efficient as Eccles.

Next Sunday Clitheroe host Wirral, kick off 12:30. With a full side and some self belief they can surely make a good game of it.